HOUGHTON, MICH. — Michael-Lee Teslak and Mike Zacharias couldn’t help but notice what the other was up to Friday night at MacInnes Arena.

Teslak, the goaltender for Michigan Tech and Zacharias, in the net for Minnesota State, tried their best to outdo the other during the Western Collegiate Hockey Association men’s hockey opener for both teams.

Teslak won the anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better battle between the two juniors, stopping 23 shots to shut out the Mavericks 2-0.

Zacharias saved 30 of 32 shots in the loss.

“I think we both strive off that,” said Zacharias. “It’s always good to play against a good goalie. It’s fun. I enjoy it. I respect what he does. He’s a good goaltender, and he played well.”

Teslak had equal praise for his counterpart and said Zacharias kept the Mavericks in the game.

“I think it could have been blown wide open, 4, 5 to nothing going into the third,” he said. “You’ve got to be better than the other guy. You’ve got to compete with him.”

The Huskies, who were playing in their third game of the season — Minnesota State was playing its first — got goals from Alex Lord and captain Jimmy Kerr.

Lord was left open in the slot and scored on a pass from Ryan Bunger after a Mavericks turnover with 3:51 remaining in the first period. Kerr scored from roughly the same spot in the second when the Mavericks failed to gain possession of the puck behind the net after Zacharias thwarted a partial breakaway.

While Zacharias appeared to be in midseason form, the rest of the Mavericks showed some opening-night jitters.

Zacharias bailed out the starting five — forwards Trevor Bruess, James Gaulrapp, Jerad Stewart and defensemen Kurt Davis and Brian Kilburg — during an extra-long first shift, making a pair of saves on wide-open shots. He also stopped 10 shots on a perfect penalty kill, and stopped 13 shots in the second period when the Mavericks were outshot 14-5.

“You learn a lot on the first weekend, getting up to the speed of the game,” Mavericks coach Troy Jutting said. “No matter how hard you try to replicate it in practice, you can’t match game speed.”

The Mavericks were not without their chances against the Huskies’ stifling defense but failed to capitalize on a few prime opportunities. Jon Kalinski, who scored four short-handed goals last season, had two chances — including a first-period breakaway — while killing penalties only to fire wide.

“When you get those breaks, you have to bear down and score,” Kalinski said.

Defenseman Nick Canzanello clanged a puck off the right post during one of the Mavericks’ seven power-play chances, and Teslak mentioned a low, open shot by Geoff Irwin that he turned away with the toe of his skate late in the second period.

“That team is a very good defensive team,” said Jutting, who in his eighth season as coach, has yet to win a regular-season opener. “But I’m disappointed we didn’t do a better job finishing.”

The Mavericks (0-1-0) and Huskies (2-1-0) will play again at 6:07 p.m. tonight.



Minnesota State 0-0-0—0

Michigan Tech 1-1-0—2



FIRST PERIOD

Scoring: 1. MT-Lord 1 (Bunger 2) 16:09

Penalties: Vlaisavljevich, MT (tripping) 3:00; Gaulrapp, MSU (tripping) 6:05; Bruess, MSU (hooking) 11:44; Lord, MT (tripping) 13:51; Irwin, MSU (hooking) 17:31; Kilburg, MSU (cross-checking) 18:51

SECOND PERIOD

Scoring: 2. MT-Kerr 2 (Rouleau 1, Baker 1) 12:10

Penalties: Gagne, MT (tripping) 1:57; Louwerse, MSU (cross-checking) 4:54; Kalinski, MSU (charging) 8:40; Angelow, MT (holding) 13:59

THIRD PERIOD

Scoring: None.

Penalties: Bunger, MT (tripping) 1:54; Gwilliam, MT (holding the stick) 7:50; Canzanello, MSU (slashing) 11:28; Dobson, MT (hooking) 14:53

SUMMARIES

Shots on goal: MSU 9-5-9—23; MT 12-14-6—32. Penalties: MSU 7 for 14 minutes; MT 7 for 14 minutes. Power-play opportunities: MSU 0 for 7; MT 0 for 7. Goalie saves: MSU Zacharias 11-13-6—30; MT Teslak 9-5-9—23

Referees: Jon Campion. Assistant referees: Dan Dineen, Ed Moberg

Attendance: 2,462